In addition to his commitment to Kalamazoo and his constituents, Wolpe was dedicated to Africa.

"I was a senior at Loy Norrix High School and there was a terrible crisis in Africa. He headed up a relief effort," Annen said. "I remember handing him the funds we raised."

President Bill Clinton appointed Wolpe, an expert in African politics, a special envoy to Africa's Great Lakes region. President Barack Obama also named Wolpe an adviser on the region.

Phyllis Smith, first vice chair of the Kalamazoo County Democratic Party, called Wolpe "a motivator." She said she volunteered on a few of his campaigns.

"He gave me the interest to get involved with politics," she said. "He was a wonderful person and a great leader in the Democratic party."

Kalamazoo County Administrator Peter Battani, who had known Wolpe since 1990 and worked on his 1994 bid for governor, said Wolpe was "brilliant."

"He was a big mind. I don't think people realize that when Nelson Mandela was released from prison, Howard was on his list of one of the few people he wanted to meet with because what he'd (Wolpe) done for South Africa and the whole issue of Apartheid. He played quite a role in that whole thing."

Annen said Wolpe often expressed his love for the city of Kalamazoo to him. Wolpe got his start in elective politics when he won a seat on the Kalamazoo City Commission in 1969, a decade before Annen won his first term as mayor.

"It was a very important thing to him," Annen said. "He moved beyond the city but he never really left Kalamazoo."